FSU students put their own spin on the Harlem Shake during a flash mob on campus Sunday, Feb. 10. / Robert Gill/FSView

Written by

Kyle Hunter

Contributing Writer

On Sunday, the viral Internet dance phenomenon “The Harlem Shake” visited Florida State’s campus in the form of a spontaneous “flash mob.”

From horse heads to American flag morph-suits, 200 FSU students combined eclectic costumes with a modern marketing strategy to represent a local social banking service Waspit. By beginning with one dancer and suddenly forming a coordinated routine, the students effectively attracted a large audience yet required only 36 hours of preparation. The group’s video has also gained popularity on Facebook and YouTube.

“The Harlem Shake” features the song “Harlem Shake” by American electronic artist Baauer, who specializes in trap and bass beats. Indeed, the song’s accompanying video caters to flash mobbers, as it focuses on one masked individual at the beginning before the camera re-directs to a dancing crowd, who formerly seemed unaware of the single dancer.

“Students are constantly getting bombarded with sales pitches,” said Alex Rosier, FSU senior and ambassador for Waspit. “Being a student myself, I have gotten sick of hearing them. I wanted to do things differently with Waspit,”

An economics major, Rosier hopes to use such energetic strategies to promote the free service, which targets students by combining social networking and banking.

Indeed, registered students can send and request money from friends, easily managing amounts they owe and are owed. For instance, Rosier cited money owed from a restaurant meal as an ubiquitous problem for college students that can be easily managed through social networking.

In order to build the flash mob’s cast, Waspit representatives circled FSU’s campus riding in shopping carts and using megaphones, attracting students whose own memories of the event support Rosier’s strategy.

“I love it that FSU is getting its feet wet in some of the goofier trends going around. The video was a blast to make and is great to watch! I’m definitely looking forward more events like this at FSU,” said participant Eryn Lentner.

“I find that this will bring FSU students together in camaraderie and supplements school spirit. This makes me proud to be a Seminole,” Matthew Mangiaracina said.The FSU Waspit Facebook and Twitter pages will post future events, which Rosier anticipates to be similarly creative while also forming a bond between students over the Waspit brand.